BLUE BEETLE Star Xolo Maridueña Talks About the Animated Series and Hopes It Has Anime Influence
Warner Bros. recently announced that they are going to continue the adventures of Blue Beetle in an animated series.
It was said that the “series will build on the movie… but will divert from telling the same story. Instead, the show will create its own story which, in success, could potentially lead to a return to the big screen for the giant blue bug portrayed by Xolo Maridueña.”
Now, Maridueña has shared his first comments about project and he shares his hope to see the project pull inspiration from anime.
The actor said on the Lone Lobos podcast: "Wowza, Blue Beetle is back! I'm so excited. To get to do the...I think there is an opportunity on each platform to really make something shine, right? In the movie, you had the opportunity to do the movie stuff. In a TV show, you have the chance to do long-format stuff."
He added: "In an animated show... the f*ing fact this kid likes anime and can make whatever freaking weapon he wants and has this suit that lights up... if they do the suit right in animated, I wonder if it's going to look exactly like the movie suit did or if it's going to, depending on what the art style, if it's going to look a little bit different [or the same] for branding and all that."
When Maridueña's co-host Jacob Bertrand asked whether Blue Beetle could lean into Jaime's love of anime with an animation style which pays homage to that genre, he replied, "I hope so...if this is a continuation."
Now that the origin story for Blue Beetle is out of the way, the creative team behind the project can dive into some more interesting stories.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has already confirmed there are plans for Xolo Maridueña's Jaime Reyes in the new DCU and this animated project could lead to that.
The film’s director Angel Manuel Soto and writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer will executive produce the series alongside John Ricard who was a producer on the film.
The project has been in development since early this year with Miguel Puga (The Casagrandes) leading the charge as the project’s showrunner and director with Cristian Martinez (Women of the Movement, Good Trouble) set as writer.